Nothing’s Stopped Them Yet

Nothing’s Stopped Them Yet

Nine Inch Nails + Boys Noize - Benchmark International Arena (neé Amalie) 9/10

Tampa, FL

Review by Caitlin Tuel

In true Nine Inch Nails fashion, the entirety of this show was unbelievable to me. In any event, it is an absolute pleasure that after many successful years they continue to perform and that I have been lucky enough to be in the position that I am in life to be able to review it! This show was my first at the newly renamed Benchmark International Arena, formerly known as the Amalie Arena in the heart of downtown Tampa Bay. The arena was quite frankly the exact same when we arrived, likely as the acquisition had just been completed and the renaming had only been finished. This means, of course, the arena is still what I knew and adored on the inside. I’m delighted to say I’ve discovered my favorite cheap tequila brand has their own bar there, and my mocktail? Delightful.

Having Boys Noize as an opening act for Nails made a significant amount of sense to me. Nails’ production itself often has quite an electronic feel to the output on their songs, and Boys Noize is a legend in the electronic world. For those familiar with Skrillex, he has quite a few nods and credits on the most recent release “F*ck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3”, notably in Zeet Noise, which is a personal favorite of mine. His set itself was quite fun - for Tampa locals, it felt musically like what the The Castle’s main floor used to be like in the best way possible. Lowered onto a platform via the ceiling of the arena, he watches over everyone losing themselves to phenomenal EDM beats - very reminiscent of the Nine Inch Nails electronic inspirations we see in many of their works, notably With Teeth, or more recently the work for the Tron: Ares film. I absolutely adored this. It was a version of FOMO, certainly...unfortunately.  Review ticket or no, I immediately wanted to splurge and get onto the venue floor to experience it from that perspective. I’m grateful I had a lovely viewing spot, and had ample time to jam while seated and give my arthritic joints a break. So, truly? Fuckin’ delightful in any event though.

It’s so rare for me to be able to bounce around the Benchmark, so I truly did enjoy the double-act-only situation. It also gave me more time to zero in on what was happening around me and just was…nice. It’s not something I experience often in the entertainment world, much less in an arena setting. The Boys Noize setlist included a fair amount of EDM covers, which is always quite enjoyable from those in tune with production software. Y’all have my heart, and you know how to do a good mashup, or cover, and overall make a song your own. Plus, it’s always cool to be around a techno legend.

Boys Noize Setlist:

Girl Crush

Revolt

Flesh  (a Split-Second cover)

Greenpoint

XYXY

Her Violence Beauty (a Curses cover)

Eisbär (a Grauzone cover)

No Primordial State (a Tzusing cover)

Atom(™)’s Ich bin meine Maschine - the Boys Noise Remix 

Near You (a CoH cover)

In any event, the energy in the air is always palpable. But somehow, it especally was here. I’m watching everyone around me almost literally buzzing and vibrating with excitement, and as a longtime Nails fan, I was too. This, overall just felt wildly special to everyone in the venue - it seemed that everyone from families with children to those by themselves - intergenerationally. It was the closest an arena show has been to a family reunion since I’d seen WuTang at the same location. To me, it will always be special to see the artists I spent the formative years of my life listening to, but Nine Inch Nails will always scratch the itch of missing rides in my sister’s Monte Carlo with a good tape playing. Remniscent of the phrase “I spent the best days and nights of my life not knowing they were significant.”, I remember every moment’s delicate and ease into the palpiation of the folks nearby as I watch the introduction onto B-Stage. 

Starting your performance from your secondary stage is rare from my experience, but absurdly fun. Artists, if you’re listening and you have the means to accomplish this, please do. 

Nails themselves prepare on the b-stage for their first three songs (and only) for the first section of the performance. This begins with Reznor broaching the piano with fluidity for an acoustic edition of “Right Where It Belongs”, into a partical acoustic of “Ruiner”. Trent holds worlds of power within his voice/s, true throes of different universes. It always astonishes me in studio recordings how often I can liken him to a voice actor. Point to be said, this goes into the original version of Piggy.  As Piggy finishes, there is a brief pause between transition as the band approaches the main stage of the arena that evening. The b-stage is remniscent of ease and simplicity in the best way possible. If you are an arena-playing artist, I as a reviewer (and fan) often want to feel like I’m in the audience of your basement show while still getting to acknowledge all of your growths, successes, and creative set pieces. I’m thrilled I got to do that here.

Regardless of the above, I think my overall points of favoritism in this show include what most call a juxtaposition – going between main stage and b-stage for transitional purposes as if it were an act of storytelling?  Trust, I’m sat and adoring every second – having a techno legend as your opener — but it feels as if none of these are truly juxtaposed and solely just complimentary.

The main stage for the Benchmark Arena this evening includes projection-mapping. If you’re a Disney parks fan, I need you to picture the Frozen ride at Epco, the animatronics specifically. That is what they did at the arena, except to curtaining that surrounds the stage on all sides. Are we all recognizing how cool that is? If not, please lock-in and re-read what I wrote. Stage insanity aside, I was not in any form prepared for a Josh Freese drum intro to “Wish”. Mr Freese, the absolute legend in the flesh? With NIN again? It couldn’t be. I looked to my roommate as if he knew the answer (alternate music in any form is not necessarily his favorite, even if he does love Nails. I was so bewildered that I just needed to SPEAK!)  The projection mapping truly began in full force during Copy of a, which is truly the best thing you can do. Of course, they projected multitudes of all members of Nails as well as other individual miscellaneous silhouettes moving. I adored this, and thought it was excruciatingly clever and kept reeling on it as the band continued into Gave Up, and eventually moved back to the b-stage. The secondary section of the b-stage included the Boys Noize remixes of several NIN songs that truly just feel fitting for it. I want the studio versions, please. This included Closer, and that included me doing nothing more or less than clutching towards my chest like I had pearls on, not dissimilarly to a portrayal of an older woman in a religious setting. It’s not that I’d never heard the song before, trust me, the remix was so good in tandem with the sound production itself? Yeah, pearl-clutch-worthy. As a note, the sound production on this night was some of the best I've ever experienced. Sitting in the 300s nosebleeds it was crystal clear to the point where I had to wait for a misplaced (read: different timing than in studio recording) breath or a stutter. Crystal. Clear. and especially down at the reviewing PoV? Good lord, please hire this individual again in the future, and give whoever you need to a damned raise. Well deserved, regardless of current pay!

After the Boys Noize remix of “Came Back Haunted”, the band returns to the main stage a final time for the evening to close out the set. Band introductions (Nails doing a band intruction? My heart was so full…very remnicent of the love Hozier gave every working tour member when I was lucky enough to see him!) during Burn. However choosing after that to then play The Hand that Feeds, then Head Like a Hole, and then Hurt...in that order? That’s a power move. That’s some blue-eyes-white-dragon behavior. That is exactly what that was, be honest with yourself. 

Every moment of this had been incredible, and absolutely one of my better overall experiences at that specific arena. I am absurdly excited to (hopefully!) return for Stevie this December. Thank you so kindly and genuinely to the ever-incredible Nine Inch Nails team… Nothing’s Stopped You Yet, for certain, but I implore you not to let anything stop you ever. 

Nine Inch Nails’ setlist from the evening:

B-Stage
Right Where It Belongs
(Acoustic piano version; with “Somewhat Damaged” outro)
Ruiner
(Partially acoustic)
Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)

Main Stage
Wish
(with Josh Freese drum intro)
March of the Pigs
Reptile
Find My Way
Copy of A
Gave Up

B-Stage
Vessel (with Boys Noize) (Boys Noize remix)
Closer (with Boys Noize) (Boys Noize remix)
As Alive as You Need Me to Be  (with Boys Noize) (Boys Noize remix)
Came Back Haunted (with Boys Noize) (Boys Noize remix)

Main Stage
Mr. Self Destruct
Less Than
The Perfect Drug
Burn
(with band introductions)
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
Hurt